Help to figure out why Thorin has a black beard

[amsnelson]

Hi,
Thorin is 22 months old and this morning he looked great. I woke him up by turning on his lights and giving him his greens. Gave him some morning pets. Came home at 3:45 gave him some pets, and checked his water. A few minutes later I noticed his beard was black.
I have kept an eye on him, went to the store and came back and it is still black. No changes to his cage, no changes to food, I did a gentle feel and no broken legs or toes and no lumps or scratches. He is divo sometimes but I am worried.
Any ideas? The pictures aren’t the best but they are what he would let me get.

 

[amsnelson]

Basking temp is 99.5 today , cool is a little high with 83.6.

 

[Sadie]

Basking temp is 99.5 today , cool is a little high with 83.6.

Has he seen his reflection? He looks agitated- any other dragons cats dogs?

 

[amsnelson]

Has he seen his reflection? He looks agitated- any other dragons cats dogs?

No other dragons or mirrors but we do have cats and he hasn’t been like this with them before. My husband said it may be because one batted at the side of his cage today? Am I being overly concerned? He is just the best guy and I worry.

 

[Sadie]

Has he seen his reflection? He looks agitated- any other dragons cats dogs?

Could be- I would keep the cat away - see if it goes away by morning-- then post back on here and we can go from there

 

[Skybug]

I agree with sadie, he looks upset from something, If his beard hasn’t lightened up, whats his mood like? Fussy? Angsty? Can u picture his pores on his back legs? Usually,
with boys its alot harder to judge black bearding (it doesn’t always mean somethings “wrong”) he could be coming into season, if hes bouncing off the walls and is otherwise “normal” ( look for sleeping or being lethargic) he should be fine , watch this Bearded dragon hitting puberty. it may be what’s going on with him.

 

[amsnelson]

Could be- I would keep the cat away - see if it goes away by morning-- then post back on here and we can go from there

Thank you!

I agree with sadie, he looks upset from something, If his beard hasn’t lightened up, whats his mood like? Fussy? Angsty? Can u picture his pores on his back legs? Usually,
with boys its alot harder to judge black bearding (it doesn’t always mean somethings “wrong”) he could be coming into season, if hes bouncing off the walls and is otherwise “normal” ( look for sleeping or being lethargic) he should be fine , watch this Bearded dragon hitting puberty. it may be what’s going on with him.

Thank you so much! I watched the video and it was very helpful. He doesn’t have a black beard this morning. He has been “normal” for the most part, a bit more stand off ish then “normal” and sleeping with his back to us the last three days but everything else pretty same. His poop yesterday had good color but he did spread it a bit and it looked watery at the end. I should have taken a picture of it. He pooped at like 9:30 last night.
I will look at him more closely today to check for more signs of puberty.

 

[amsnelson]

I think it is puberty hitting Thorin. He isn’t showing a black beard this morning but he did hiss , for the first time , at the small cat that likes to sleep on top of his cage. He also is scooting around his cage a bit with his back legs all flat leaving his scent no doubt! I will continue to monitor him but thanks to all of you I think he is in puberty. Thank you all so much for the help!

 

[Sadie]

I think it is puberty hitting Thorin. He isn’t showing a black beard this morning but he did hiss , for the first time , at the small cat that likes to sleep on top of his cage. He also is scooting around his cage a bit with his back legs all flat leaving his scent no doubt! I will continue to monitor him but thanks to all of you I think he is in puberty. Thank you all so much for the help!

If the dragon that is next to him can be seen by Mr Freeze this is why he has a black beard --- I have never heard of a dragging their legs around the tank to spread their scent as well ---

 

[amsnelson]

If the dragon that is next to him can be seen by Mr Freeze this is why he has a black beard --- I have never heard of a dragging their legs around the tank to spread their scent as well ---

He is the only dragon I have and no mirrors around him. He is climbing well on his wood structures and in and out of his hammock so he is physically fine he just being a bit of turd and possibly going through puberty.

 

[Skybug]

He is the only dragon I have and no mirrors around him. He is climbing well on his wood structures and in and out of his hammock so he is physically fine he just being a bit of turd and possibly going through puberty.

Does the dragon get taken out? And are these true house cats or are they “dumpster kittens” ? , the cats are definitely teasing him i think.

 

[amsnelson]

Thorin goes to work with me from time to time and spends an hour outside on a lead whenever possible. He also has trips to the pet store. And yes the cats are true house pets. The home we got Thorin from had a cat that would sleep on top o his cage so it hasn’t been a problem before. The large cat and Thorin have been nose to nose twice without issue. During puberty a dragon can become irritable with things that once were okay, this is something that leads me to think it is possible he is in puberty.

 

[Rusty]

Thorin goes to work with me from time to time and spends an hour outside on a lead whenever possible. He also has trips to the pet store. And yes the cats are true house pets. The home we got Thorin from had a cat that would sleep on top o his cage so it hasn’t been a problem before. The large cat and Thorin have been nose to nose twice without issue. During puberty a dragon can become irritable with things that once were okay, this is something that leads me to think it is possible he is in puberty.

I've read that a Randy dragon, might like a stuffed toy, or soft towel to rub up on? Maybe the leg dragging?,not sure where i read this, but worth a shot lol

 

[Rusty]

I've read that a Randy dragon, might like a stuffed toy, or soft towel to rub up on? Maybe the leg dragging?,not sure where i read this, but worth a shot lol

And my cats also enjoy sleeping on the tank, heat is heat i guess, Rusty doesn't usually care unless they fall in, which has happened, made new lid to stop that!

 

[amsnelson]

And my cats also enjoy sleeping on the tank, heat is heat i guess, Rusty doesn't usually care unless they fall in, which has happened, made new lid to stop that!

That happened several years ago with our other dragon but this time we made sure to reinforce the lid! I will give the stuffed animal a try. Thank you!